1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for efficiently generating and responding to electronic requests for quote.
2. Description of the Related Art
Choosing and purchasing products today is a time consuming and difficult task for buyers, especially corporate buyers who are responsible for purchasing large amounts of information technology (IT) equipment (e.g., desktop computers, laptop computers, servers, software, etc.). Buyers of IT equipment must spend a large amount of time accessing a variety of different sources through a variety of means to research the equipment they need and the merchant from which they want to buy. To obtain the desired products at the least cost with the right service options, the corporate buyer typically requests quotes from various merchants, and subsequently selects the most competitive of the quotes. To this end, the buyer prepares a general list of products wanted along with other information (e.g., delivery date), and sends the list to a number of merchants via either fax, e-mail, or regular mail. The merchants, in response, generate quotes which are returned to the buyer via e-mail, fax, or regular mail.
As discussed, the generating of requests for quotes and responses thereto is a very time consuming practice. This is even the case if the requests and/or responses are prepared electronically, as a user must manually obtain and enter the desired information.